Paul Bowles’ Travel Essays – The Loss of Cultures
Posted on | May 31, 2013 | No Comments
I am transported by Paul Bowles’ writing. His evocations of desert life, North African culture, and impending imperialization are excellent examples of the west’s need to “improve” other cultures by enforcing their own sense of propriety and rules. From 1931 to 1963, Paul Bowles details the changes wrought by aggressive cultures on Marrekech, Tangier, and Fez. These changes are more interesting because in many ways, western culture became the desire of many young Moroccans and the culture “progressed” away from early philosophy.
Bowles’ descriptions of the people, customs, and authority he encounters over this 30 year span are beautifully wrought. His writing of the baptism of isolation was trance inducing in itself. I would be leaving immediately for the areas he describes but unfortunately, it was slipping away 50 years ago. I can only imagine what exists now.
Shawn Nichols
shawnnichols.com
The Films of Paul Bowles at Paulbowles.org
Paul Bowles, Travels at paulbowles.org
Tags: ceylon > fez > Jane Bowles > marrakesh > Paul Bowles > sri lanka > tangier > travel
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